Kelly nets online success

What do former Big Breakfast presenter Kelly Brook, Lord Of The Rings star Orlando Bloom and Manchester United have in common?

They are all objects of our online desire; high scorers in a new survey that reveals the most popular search subjects of 8.5 million British internet users.

Divided into 15 categories, the survey provides a snapshot of our current preoccupations, in subjects ranging from art and literature to clubbing.

While Brook is the most sought-after female in the country, she is not number one on the personalities list. That honour goes to Bloom, thanks in large part to his role as Legolas in the Lord Of The Rings films, and his recent turn in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Justin Timberlake knocks Brook into third place but she can take some heart - at least she is ahead of Jennifer Lopez. There are some surprising high fliers in the clubbing and nightlife category. The venerable superclub Ministry of Sound is the most popular search term. But snapping at its heels is the less stylish Club 18-30. Big Brother has failed to ignite the rest of the country but in the internet landscape it looms large, vying in the television category with Channel 4.

David Beckham may be only a slight presence in the personality list but his new club is reaping the rewards of signing him - at least when it comes to British internet users.

Director Simon Chamberlain of Hitwise, the company behind the survey, said: "The Real Madrid site has gone ballistic. It is an interesting comment on the English football fan, and the interest in Beckham, that one man can generate such activity."

Indeed, Real Madrid are second only to Manchester United in the football rankings.

In cinema, JK Rowling's boy magician holds surfers in his spell. "Harry Potter" is the most popular search term by far.

When it comes to art, internet users are more into self-adornment than old masters. "Tattoos" is the most popular search term, followed by "tattoo designs", and "tattoo" comes in at number four. However, Tate Modern director Sir Nicholas Serota will breathe a sigh of relief to hear the gallery claims third spot.

Christina Aguilera beats Eminem into second place in the bands and artists category, Kylie Minogue is outside the top 20, but Britney Spears clings on at number five.

The survey, which examined 15,000 British sites and popular non-UK online destinations, shows that in some areas World Wide Web users are keenly susceptible to fashion.

This is clearest in the health category, where the most popular eating regime of the moment - the Atkins diet - knocks NHS Direct into second place. But in books and writing, tradition rules, as Harry Potter gives way to the phrase "love poems".